A Perfect Morning
by ttfan111robstar1
Summary: Seto Kaiba usually does not stay in bed long in the morning. Today is the exception to the rule, and has redefined his idea of a perfect morning. Brotherly fluff all around.


Seto Kaiba was an early riser- by choice and by necessity. There was never a time where he slept in by choice, because he often felt the day was wasted that way. When daylight was burning and he wasn't working, he felt useless. It's why he never went to bed until the latest hours of the night and got up in the wee hours of the morning. More often than he liked to admit to his little brother, he pulled all-nighters and didn't sleep at all. Very rarely did he nap, but when he did it was because of months of pushing himself too far. And usually one nap was enough to reset him and get him back to normal. More than anything though, he just wanted to actually feel… Rested when he woke. Hard as he worked, he never had a morning where he woke up feeling rested, or when he just felt relaxed. He had long since accepted that he would not have that happen, so he had grown complacent in that knowledge.

This morning was a rare one for one Seto Kaiba. It was his day off from work. He did not take an actual day off where he did not work for only one day per month. Mokuba had insisted upon that for his mental health and he had to admit that it had helped him. It was a Saturday, which meant that Mokuba was home from school, but he wouldn't bother him because Seto always woke up first. So he had gone to bed that night with the knowledge that he would not be disturbed.

Seto Kaiba was, for once, not awoken by the sound of a blaring alarm. Instead he was waking up on his own time. He slowly spread out his awareness as his senses came back to him one by one. He tasted an odd bitterness in his mouth that sometimes haunted him in the mornings, He smelt the scent of his room that smelt of pine-sol and duel monster's cards fresh out of the package. He could feel his weighted blanket on him, and the brush of softness on his bare hand. He heard the sound of birds chirping outside of the window. However, as he came to further awareness, he noticed other things. He heard the sound of breathing that was not his own. He felt heat emanating from somewhere by his side. And he smelt something- or rather someone- familiar to him. However, he cracked an eye open to check.

Sure enough, his hunch was right.

Mokuba was laying in his bed, breathing softly and steadily as he slept, with his black hair splayed across a pillow. He looked incredibly peaceful. Much as he didn't feel ready to move, he cracked a small smile at the sight, and scooted himself closer to his brother. Though Mokuba didn't wake, he curled into his brother's side, and Seto draped an arm over him. Suddenly, with his brother's warmth beside him, he began to feel sleepy again. So, he pulled his little brother just a bit closer to him, and shut his eyes again. Happy memories with him danced in front of his closed eyes, and soon, he was asleep once more.

When Mokuba woke up he was both surprised and extremely pleased to find himself in his brother's arms. He had woken up much earlier that morning and found he couldn't get back to sleep, so he had gone to Seto's room. Sometimes he went there if he had nightmares and couldn't sleep, so he would curl up with his brother until he felt safe again, and fell asleep in his bed. Seto never minded, and it was nice for him to have some uninterrupted time with his brother- awake or not. It reminded him of when they were kids and they shared a bed in the orphanage, and later on when Mokuba would sometimes sneak into his brother's room late at night without Gozaburo knowing. Sometimes they had a few close calls the morning after those nights when Gozaburo was around, but the old man never caught on.

Now, he looked up to see his big brother still sleeping, which surprised him if it was as late as he thought it might be by the sun shining in the room. He lifted his head just enough to see the Alarm clock on Seto's nightstand. It was ten thirty in the morning, and his jaw dropped. Seto never slept this late! Not even when he was sick! Maybe this was his body giving in after a hard month. With everything that happened in Battle City and Noah's Virtual World, things had taken a toll on his brother- heck, they had taken a toll on him too. But he knew that as bad as things had been for him, they had been worse for his brother. Another defeat by Yugi in his own tournament, going through the virtual world of their stepbrother, facing their stepfather again. Seto put on a brave face for his sake, but he knew that it had worn him down. So, Mokuba made sure to give him extra snuggles even when he was sleeping, so he would know he wasn't alone.

Seto awoke a short time later to see his brother's slate-gray eyes looking up at him. His mouth tipped into a smile.

"Morning." Mokuba whispered.

"Morning, Mokuba." Mokuba responded by snuggling closer to his brother.

"You okay? You slept pretty late today. You're not getting sick, are you?"

Seto cracked a smile. "No, I feel fine. Actually, I feel better than I have in a long time."

Mokuba's eyes lit up. "Yeah?"

Seto nodded. "Absolutely."

Mokuba beamed at him, and the life in his eyes soothed Seto's soul. Mokuba nuzzled into him even more.

Seto Kaiba had a difficult relationship with Physical affection. Months of abuse from the so-called family members who cared for him and his brother, along with Gozaburo's years of Physical and mental abuse, he did not like being touched in the slightest. His brother was the only one he was comfortable with touching him, affectionately or otherwise. When someone else touched him- which was not very often, considering he tended to isolate himself quite a bit- He tended to freeze up at the contact, or if he could see it coming, flinch imperceptibly. Even with Roland, who was around him about as much as his brother was, he did not take touch well. But Mokuba was the exception to that rule- to practically every rule he had about humanity in general. The pure goodness in Mokuba made him believe in the good in others, if only for a moment.

Seto himself was not skilled in demonstrating affection, because he had not been given it since he was a very small child. Mokuba, however, was very skilled in this area, and ended up teaching him much about it. Of course, Mokuba was the only one he was ever affectionate with, so that helped, but still. He often felt that he and his brother taught each other different things. Seto liked to think he taught Mokuba about real life, problem solving, and leadership. Mokuba in turn taught him about love, humanity, and hope. Mokuba had shown him how to be affectionate, and he would use that knowledge now.

He held Mokuba close to him, his chin resting atop his brother's head, and then he stroked his hair. Mokuba, for his part, soaked it up like a sponge. Tender moments with his brother were rarer than he would have liked, usually a result of a devastating event, but when they did come, he savored them.

"I love you, big brother." Mokuba said into his brother's chest.

Seto smiled, a very faint but genuine smile. "I love you too, Mokuba. And I'm proud of you."

Seto didn't usually like late mornings. But today was the exception. This was the perfect morning.


End file.
